Happy Halloween!!!

We have not fallen off the face of the earth, we've just been managing to keep really busy around here during the past few weeks... Though, I couldn't let this spooktacular night end without sharing pictures of our beautiful little princess and our adorable little knight. We trick or treated in our neighborhood and made a stop over at the farm. By the time we made it home, both kids were begging to go to bed. I guess the excitement of the day was just too much for them! Happy Halloween, everyone! And, a special Happy Birthday to my brothers who turn the big 35 today!!!

Isabella was Sleeping Beauty this year and James was a knight. The weather was warm enough that the kids could just go out in their costumes with warm layers underneath--that was a nice treat!


Here's a pic of our front step. Ella helped me to make these ghosts this afternoon and she was very proud once she helped hang them on our tree. James' helmet for his knight costume was actually so big it fit Mark a little better than it did James!

Our feet are tired!

We are making the most of our time in NYC. Yesterday we wandered through many different Manhattan neighborhoods. We had brunch at a french bistro in the meat packing district with Mark's cousin and her family. Then, we walked through Soho, Greenwich, Little Italy, China Town, Chelsea, and the East Village. We snacked at an authentic Mexican diner in Soho and ate a late lunch at a cute Italian place in Little Italy. We found some great gelatto in Little Italy too. We completed our day by having Japanese food for dinner last night. It is so fun to try all the different restaurants. There are so many to choose from.

I would like to know how many miles we have walked while we have been here. We're also good at hailing cabs and are getting the subway figured out enough to get around. We've had a great guide in my friend Niki. And, Mark's cousin has given us lots of different suggestions for meals.

Today we were up too early to go see the Today show. If you were watching, you may have caught a glimpse of us around 8:00, 8:30 and 9:00 a.m. central time. We saw Matt, Meredith, and Ann as well as a few others. Though the weather was nice, the anchors weren't outside very much. Dakota Fanning came out to greet the crowd a bit, too! After the show, we went to the Top of the Rock and enjoyed taking in the city from 70 stories up. Then, we did the NBC Studios tour and saw Studio 3A (Nightly News) and Studio 8H (SNL). Next, we took a stroll around and caught a few moments of the Columbus Day Parade. We also walked down to Central Park and took a carriage ride around part of the park--beautiful! After a stop at Macy's, we headed back to our hotel to rest up. In a few moments we are headed out to dinner and then to the Phantom of the Opera. Should be fun!

In New York City!

We made it here safely last night and managed to fill our evening with lots of fun. We ate at a Korean Barbecue called Chung Moo Ro just a couple of blocks from our hotel. We walked down to Times Square and had dessert in fun Pub. We visited ESPN Zone, Toys R Us (there is a Ferris Wheel in the middle of the store that our kids would have loved!) and mainly just wandered around. We ended our night by taking the subway back to our hotel, walking through Penn Station and past Madison Square Garden on the way! We encountered a few really excited Rangers fans by Madison Square Garden. Time for more fun today!

A boy on the bus told Ella he wants to be her boyfriend... OH MY!! And, other news!

How can this already be happening? Isabella arrived home from school this noon with a mischievous smile and the interesting announcement that Ben on the bus wants to be her boyfriend. We told Ella can't have a boyfriend until she is 16 and to pass that news on to Ben. To this Ella replied, "But, I already have a boyfriend. Trenton is my boyfriend." Trenton, for those who don't recall, is Ella's cousin and he provided us an easy out. Ella is going to tell Ben that she already has a boyfriend. That should cover us for awhile... What's next in this year of kindergarten saga?

Other fun news... Last night we met up with my friend Chris. She used her fancy camera and photography skills to take a few fun fall pics of our family. I don't have the pics to post yet, but Chris has posted a few of the shots on her blog. You can see them by clicking here. Thanks a bunch, Chris!

When I get around to it, I have some fun fire station pictures to post from our trip to the local fire station in honor of National Fire Safety Week. We are a little busy at our house right now, though. Mark and I are prepping for the kids to spend some time with Grandma and Grandpa while we head to New York City for a long weekend. Should be lots of fun for us...and the kids...and Grandma and Grandpa! I am sure Grandma will hold the fort down while we are gone. Isabella is super excited and started makings plans for time with G&G as soon as we told her about the trip. Last night she informed us that Grandma is nicer than we are and lets her get up and have a snack after she goes to bed if she tells Grandma really nice that her tummy is hungry. Maybe Grandma will read this and not be such a push over while we are gone!

It was so beautiful at the park last night that I couldn't resist taking a few pics, too! So to close out this post, here are a few of our snapshots from the park last night. Chris' pictures are fancier so don't forget to check them out!

My Little Singers

The kids both sang up front with their little choir this Sunday at church. For James it was his singing debut. He did a really nice job at the first service. He didn't sing very much but he stood up front just like he was supposed to and finally participated at the end of the song. He did look very cute up there and was very proud afterward. I was equally proud watching my two children sing from choir loft!

The second service wasn't as successful for James. James spotted me sitting in a pew on his way down the aisle. He was too excited to see me and soon he was attempting to crawl up on my lap. Despite my encouraging, he never made it up front. Ella sang beautifully at the second service, though she wondered where her brother was... Here's a pic of my singers taken after church on Sunday.